Los Angeles-based composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Sam Wilkes crafts flowing, introspective jazz laced with ambient and at times psychedelic elements. He regularly works alongside saxophonist Sam Gendel and the wide-ranging singer/songwriter Louis Cole, and he introduced his own recorded work in 2018 through the full-length release simply called Wilkes.
Although best recognized for his bass playing, Wilkes handles guitars, keyboards, and percussion with equal skill, and he has appeared onstage with a wide array of Los Angeles acts across multiple styles. He launched the indie-rock duo Pratley alongside James Watson, issuing their first EP in 2011. He also joined the funk collective Scary Pockets, contributing to numerous early singles they put out during 2016. The following year Pratley delivered their self-titled album, while Wilkes guested on Hotep from Dean Blunt’s Blue Iverson endeavor and on Sam Gendel’s Double Expression, an all-digital set of improvised pieces. At the same time he toured with Knower, the intricate, jazz-inflected electro-pop partnership formed by Louis Cole and Genevieve Artadi.
In 2018 Leaving Records issued both Music for Saxofone & Bass Guitar, a collaboration between Gendel and Wilkes, and Wilkes’s own debut album bearing his last name. During 2019 he contributed to projects by Chaka Khan—co-writing the title track of Hello Happiness—Teebs, and Akua, then issued the live album Live on the Green in November.
